D2 Tool Steel Balisong Butterfly Knife – Mule, Kamagong Wood & Brass Handle | Authentic Filipino Balisong BF-87

Mule Balisong Butterfly Knife (BF-87)

Named for the hybrid that outworks both of its parents. The BF-87 mule balisong butterfly knife is hand-forged in D2 Tool Steel on the traditional Batangas pattern in the Philippines, by smiths working the way balisongs have been made for generations.

Blade & Steel

This one runs a D2 tool steel blade — high carbon, high chromium, high hardness. It is the steel serious users choose when edge retention matters more than easy sharpening: 58–62 HRC, excellent abrasion resistance, and enough chromium to stay clean with basic care.

Handle, Bolsters & Balance

The inserts are kamagong — Philippine ebony, one of the densest hardwoods in Southeast Asia and the traditional material for Batangas-made balisongs. It is heavy for wood, close to non-porous, and it darkens with handling, so the handles you carry for a year will not look like the handles you unboxed. The frame around them is brass, which sets the knife’s weight and gives the inserts something rigid to sit in.

How It Flips

At 6.7 oz (190 g) it lands in the middleweight band, which is where most experienced flippers end up. There is enough mass to carry momentum cleanly through a rollover — the handle finishes the arc for you — without the swing feeling slow. If you have no strong preference yet, this is the weight to start from. The brass in the handles pushes the balance point outward, which steadies the swing further and is why brass-handled balisongs feel calmer in the hand than their weight alone suggests.

Open, it measures in the compact-to-standard Batangas range — the size most Filipino makers settle on, and the size that suits the widest range of hands. Large enough to feel like a real knife, small enough to carry comfortably.

Specifications

Every knife is finished by hand, so dimensions and weight may vary by roughly 3–5%, and natural handle materials differ piece to piece. Yours will not be an exact twin of the photograph.

Who This Balisong Is For

The BF-87 suits anyone moving up from a mass-market balisong to a genuinely hand-made one. It is a working knife rather than a wall piece — it can be carried, flipped and sharpened — but the fit and the handle material make it a legitimate display piece too. If you are buying a gift, this is the price bracket where a balisong stops feeling like a novelty.

What’s Included

• 1 × Mule Balisong Butterfly Knife
• A handmade wooden presentation box is included with every order over $170.
• Care card with oiling and pivot-tuning notes

Care & Tuning

Keep a light film of mineral oil on the blade, wipe it dry after every session, and never store a carbon blade in a leather sheath long-term — leather holds moisture. If the handles develop play, seat the knife closed and tighten the pivot screws a quarter turn at a time until the play disappears without the action binding. Zen pins and tang pins can be dressed with a fine file if the handles start to strike the blade — do this a few strokes at a time.

Live blade, sold to adults 18 and over. Customers are responsible for knowing and complying with the knife laws that apply where they live.

Frequently Asked Questions